It starts with respect and trust, then builds to friendship and peace.

Aberdeen public school pupils learned the pillars of aboriginal culture as the school kicked off a three-day First Nations festival during Education Week.

What started as a small idea to help pupils and teachers learn more about aboriginal culture grew into two full days of workshops about drumming, making wampum belts, storytelling, games and traditional food for the whole school, said principal Cindy Kissau.

The festival will wrap Wednesday with aboriginal dances and a school-wide powwow.

About one-third of Aberdeen’s 250 pupils are aboriginal. First Nations, Metis and Inuit pupils in Grades 4 to 8 spend every afternoon with Robyn Michaud-Turgeon, who teaches them about aboriginal culture.

But the festival was a way to teach non-native pupils about the culture as well, said Michaud-Turgeon, who helped Kissau plan the festival.

“All the students are engaged and so interested and the First Nations’ students can’t help but feel really empowered to see so many people being so engaged in learning about their culture,” said Michaud-Turgeon, adding the response to the festival has been phenomenal.

“When you can engage all the senses it really grabs and really resonates. I have no doubt that what they’re learning today is something that’s going to endure — they’re going to remember this for a very long time because it’s engaging all of their senses and speaking to so many different learning styles.”

The workshops stuck with Grade 7 pupil Madison Jones, 13, who was moved by the drumming.

“It spoke to me,” she said. “Not many schools have native studies and our school actually does,” she said. “I think it’s kind of cool because not a lot of schools would be able to experience this.”

Hanna Dye, 13, said she was interested in the wampum belts and how they’re used as textbooks.

“It’s been really fun,” she said of the festival. “It’s cool because it’s a chance for the other (non-native) students to learn what the native class is learning about.”